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Lions soccer headed to Sweet Sixteen

A&M-Commerce defeated Angelo St. 1-0 on Nov. 16 in Commerce.
lionathletics.com

The A&M-Commerce Lions soccer team is in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen for the third time in school history after beating LSC foes Angelo State for the third time this season, 1-0.

Madison Cordts third goal of the season could not have come at a more perfect time. With less than two minutes to go in the first half, the Lions found themselves with a corner kick opportunity.  Anitra Wright booted it in, where a waiting Vicky Back flicked it over to a mass of humanity in the box. Cordts was waiting in the corner of the box, and when the ball came to her, she battled it home (44’) to give the Lions a 1-0 lead going into the half. They would not relinquish it for the rest of the game.

“The corner came in, and Vicky (Back) did a little dummy, and it hit off a defender. I tried to hit it back in, but it got blocked again. So I just redirected it into the corner and it worked out,” said Cordts, “It’s just unbelievable where we’ve gotten. I’m really happy that we got into the Sweet Sixteen.”

The Lions played a stifling defensive game that led to ASU being outshot 18-7.  Wright led all A&M-Commerce players in shots, while Cordts and Callie Annett were not far behind with three a piece. The Rambelles were only able to generate three shots in the second half.

Keeper Courtnie Northern was able to enjoy a quiet outing that resulted in a shutout thanks to the strong work of her defensive front consisting of Laura Heron, Taylor Rhodes, and LSC First-Team All-Conference defender Vicky Back. Northern was only required to make one save on the day, a routine stop on a deep Kathleen Keoughan lob.

“We made a subtle difference at the back. It was just a little change, but I think it changed the whole game,” said 17-year A&M-Commerce head coach Neil Piper, whose Lions return to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2008, “We didn’t have them much room in the middle to attack, and we were just going to try and score on set-pieces today. Once we got the goal, I didn’t see them scoring in the second half.”

Elsewhere in the region, Colorado School of Mines held on to defeat the St. Edward’s Hilltoppers 1-0 in a game that only yielded a combined two shots on goal. As a result, the Lions will travel to Golden, Colorado to face the Orediggers in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament. Also making the trip to the Rockies will be the last teams standing in the West region, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Stanislaus. The winners of each game will face one another in the Elite Eight round, which takes place on Sunday, November 23.

“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” said Piper. “We were fortunate enough to play a very tough non-conference schedule, and we took some lumps early, but it’s paying off now. We’ve won eight in a row now, and seven have been by a goal, so we know how to win, we know how to beat good teams, and hopefully we’ll be ready to go.”

The Lions will take a few days to rest before packing their bags for Colorado. They will play the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers on Friday, November 21. The time for that game is yet to be announced. The winner will advance to the Elite Eight, which will also take place in Golden, Colorado, to face the winner of the Cal Poly Pomona Mustangs and the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors.